1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dispensers for rolls of toilet tissue and similar material.
2. Reference to Prior Art
Rolls of toilet tissue and similar sheet material typically include an elongated strip of tissue material wrapped around a hollow, cylindrical roll core. Dispensers for rolls of tissue typically include a housing formed by a base and a cover which cooperates with the base to define a compartment for containing a single roll of tissue. A mandrel is mounted on the base for supporting the roll for rotation about a horizontally extending axis. The mandrel is a cylindrical member having a continuous outer surface, and the roll core is supported on the outer surface. The mandrel also has an inner end portion connected to the base, and a cantilevered terminal end portion opposite the inner end portion. Typically, the mandrel is tapered from the inner end portion to the terminal end portion such that the terminal end portion is smaller in diameter than the inner end portion.
To prevent users from encountering an empty roll core, one type of dispenser includes primary and stub mandrels for dispensing primary and stub rolls of tissue. The primary roll is new when installed on the primary mandrel, and the stub roll is a partially used primary roll transferred from the primary mandrel when installing a new primary roll. Both the primary and stub mandrels are constructed as described above.